Although you might think of grass as simply “grass,” there are actually a lot of distinct kinds of grass. Some grass varieties can withstand your dog playing, running, and eliminating on them every day while others cannot.
If you frequently notice dog puddles or worn-out patches in your lawn, the cause may be a weaker, more delicate grass kind. Think about replacing your current lawn with a grass variety that can withstand damage, like:
- Long fescue
- Virginia bluegrass
- Evergreen ryegrass
- Bermudagrass
- Zoysiagrass
Is redoing your entire lawn an undertaking you can’t handle? By reseeding or installing new sod exclusively in your dog’s preferred play or bathroom areas, you can still help your grass.
Deal with dog waste immediately
If you allow urine and feces to permeate the soil, they can both harm your grass. High nitrogen levels in your dog’s excrement cause the grass to burn. The brown areas you can see are where the grass was scorched by the nitrogen.
If you never allow the soil to absorb the nitrogen, you can prevent it from getting to your grass. Always remove and of dog waste right away (yes, even in your own backyard). After your dog urinates, fully wet the area with the hose to wash the soil and dilute the nitrogen.
Mow the grass higher
Taller grass has deeper roots, and a hardier turf has deeper roots. Allowing your grass to grow taller will toughen it up and allow it to withstand more damage from your dog without dying.
This does not imply that you should stop cutting your lawn altogether or allow it to become an unruly jungle in your backyard. Simply set your lawnmower’s cutting height to the highest level advised for the type of grass you have.
Taller grass is not only more resilient, but it will also better conceal any damage than short grass. You might not even notice minor holes caused by digging or brown pee stains.
Fertilize less
Because nitrogen is a crucial component for your grass to develop healthily, several lawn fertilizers contain it. But too much nitrogen will cause the grass to burn. Sometimes the nitrogen from dog waste combined with nitrogen from fertilizer can be too much.
Urine burn can be avoided if you fertilize less frequently or using a fertilizer that doesn’t include nitrogen. While many typical fertilization regimens call for four or five feedings annually, you may reduce this number to one or two at seasons that are ideal for your particular grass type:
- Cool-season grasses should be fertilized twice a year, once in early spring and once in early fall.
- Warm-season grass fertilization program suitable for dogs: time in late summer and once in early spring.
Depending on where you live, you should fertilize at a specific time of year. Contact your neighborhood extension office for particular guidance that applies to your situation.
Look out for yellow spots
Pay close care to your yard, particularly the places where your dog tends to congregate. The grass will eventually turn straw-like yellow before dying and turning brown. If you catch these patches while they are still yellow, you might be able to salvage them.
In order to get rid of excess nitrogen and salts from your dog’s feces, cleanse the soil in those places when you notice yellow patches. To prevent dog urine damage to soil, you can use a remedy like:
With my dog, how can I maintain my grass alive?
If you have dogs, you are aware of the difficulties in maintaining a beautiful, green grass. Due of your dog’s urine’s alkaline pH, concentrated pee, and nitrogen load, turf burn is a frequent problem for many dog owners.
Dogs’ urine should ideally have a pH between 6 and 6.5, which is somewhat acidic. The higher pH of your dog’s urine, which is above 7, can burn your lawn and may develop struvite stones, which are bladder stones brought on by alkaline urine. You can buy pH strips and get a urine sample from your dog in the morning to check the pH of your pet’s urine at home. A diet low in carbohydrates and free of grains can lower the pH of a dog’s urine.
Dogs on a diet high in protein can also excrete pee that damages grass. Nitrogen is eliminated during the breakdown of proteins. Increased nitrogen from higher protein intake increases the risk of turf burn. The additional nitrogen in your dog’s urine could harm the grass if your lawn has been fertilized heavily and is already receiving amounts of nitrogen that are close to their maximum capacity.
To assist reduce the concentration of urine, keep your pet well-hydrated. To encourage good water consumption, place water containers throughout your home or yard. You may also think about putting water in your dog’s dry food or giving him wet food.
You can also teach your dog to relieve himself in a separate spot, such a designated gravel- or mulch-filled outdoor toilet place. Since the urine is typically at its highest concentration in the morning, this is particularly crucial. By using a pheromone-treated pee post or taking your dog on a leash to a new location, you can encourage your dog to relieve himself in a particular area of your yard while rewarding the behavior with treats. Regular walks with your pet are a terrific approach to combat this problem and provide both of you with exercise.
Picking a tough grass is essential if you want to maintain your lawn looking beautiful. Tall Fescue grass is a tough grass that can handle dog urine better. Fescue grass also requires less water due to drought resistance and strength to handle canine foot movement. You can add Ryegrass in its perennial form if your lawn has trouble spots. Consider Bermuda grass or Kentucky bluegrass for areas with plenty of foot traffic.
Gypsum should be applied to burned or yellow places to improve the color and health of your lawn. Water your lawn frequently to help dilute the urine. You can also create your own spot-removal spray to use on your lawn: In a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer, combine one beer can, one ordinary soda can, and one cup of ammonia. Apply the mixture every other week until the lawn’s color returns to normal, then cut any dead or dying grass.
Additionally, you should rule out any other issues that can contribute to brown spots. Use a lawn fungus control product and keep your lawn mower blade sharp to prevent brown grass fungus on your yard. Brown patches can result from overfertilizing your lawn and lawn pests like Japanese beetles and grubs can also produce discoloration; all of these issues can be resolved with treatments for controlling lawn insects. If the problem is being caused by the neighborhood dogs, fence your yard and think about putting a motion-activated sprinkler to stop other dogs from urinating on your lawn.
Your furry pals will remain content if you follow these advice for treating and preventing lawn burn, and your lawn will remain lush and green all year.
Water thoroughly
Water is your friend when trying to prevent dog poop stains, so grab your watering can or garden hose. After your dog uses the restroom, thoroughly water the area to remove salts and nitrogen from the soil.
Don’t skimp on the water. To appropriately dilute the nitrogen concentration, use twice as much water as there is pee.
Set up a designated potty spot
Here is an option because following your dog around with a watering can could become boring quickly. Instead of allowing your dog to relieve himself wherever he pleases in the yard, teach him to use a single specified location.
To guide your dog to her new potty area, you can use a gadget called a Pee Post. Your dog will receive the message “you should use the restroom here” from the Pee Post’s pheromones.
Give your dog plenty of praise and goodies as you train them to urinate in the same place every day. Dogs adore receiving praise.
The new bathroom location for your dog can be a back corner of the yard where brown patches won’t be seen or a region where there is mulch or gravel rather than grass. If you opt to utilize mulch, pick a substance that is safe for dogs to consume. Here are some secure recommendations:
- Rubber
- Cedar
- Straw
- fibrous coconut
Cocoa shell, sometimes referred to as cocoa bean hull, is the most harmful mulch material. Cocoa shells are poisonous to dogs just like chocolate is. And we all know that at some point, your dog will nibble.
Mow the lawn higher
Give your grass a little room to expand. Raising the deck height on your lawnmower will allow you to cut the grass as high as you can without it becoming disorderly or unhealthy. Depending on your grass kind, you should mow at a specific height.
The highest suggested grass heights for several of the most well-liked grass kinds are as follows:
For two reasons, taller grass is better for pee stains.
- The roots of grass get deeper as it grows taller. Strong roots increase the likelihood that grass will withstand urine burn.
- Taller grass will better conceal and hide pee stains than shorter grass. Even if the spots are present, you might not notice them in tall grass.
Try Dog Rocks in your dog’s water
Probably the first thing you want to know is, “What the hell are Dog Rocks? Natural minerals called “Dog Rocks” that are non-toxic filter out nitrates, ammonia, and other contaminants from your dog’s water.
Less nitrogen in your dog’s pee equals less harm to your lawn because there are fewer nitrates and ammonia in his water.
Use of Dog Rocks is quite simple. Here are some straightforward instructions from the business’ website:
- Step 1: Thoroughly rinse the Dog Rocks before adding them to your dog’s water.
- Step 2: Fill your dog’s water bowl with water from the pitcher or, alternatively, place the rocks in a half-gallon of water and let them steep for at least 10 hours.
- Step 3: Fill up the bowl or pitcher again to keep the rocks submerged in roughly a half gallon of water at all times.
- Replace Dog Rocks every two months in step four.
Don’t allow your dog to drink water from other sources for optimal results (like the garden hose, puddles, or the toilet). Bring water that has been treated with Dog Rocks when you go for a long walk or to the dog park.
Change your dog’s diet
The amount of nitrogen in your dog’s urine can vary depending on their diet. Here are some suggestions for modifying your dog’s diet to stop urine burn:
- Encourage your dog to hydrate themselves more. More water will not only make him happy and healthier, it will also dilute the nitrogen in his pee.
- Replace the processed proteins in your dog’s diet with fresh proteins, which encourage the body to create fewer waste products, such nitrogen, in the urine.
- Be cautious while feeding your dog dietary products made to lessen urine burn. In particular for dogs who have a history of liver or renal disorders, kidney or bladder stones, or crystals in the urine, these supplements can occasionally result in health complications.
WARNING: If you’re thinking of giving your dog dietary supplements or making other modifications to their diet, always talk to your vet first. Because each dog is unique, what works for some dogs can be harmful to your dog. Don’t jeopardize your pet’s health in order to maintain your yard.
Plant urine-resistant grass
Some kinds of grass are more resilient than others to the daily onslaught of dog poop. It could be time to change things up if you frequently see urine burn on your lawn. Change your present grass for a type that is more urine-resistant.
Which grass varieties are most effective at minimizing dog urine damage? In general, warm-season grasses are more tolerant of urine than cool-season grasses. Zoysiagrass and Bermudagrass are two common warm-season grasses.
Fescues are the most urine-resistant option for you if you must use cool-season grass due to where you live.
With dog urine, how can I keep my grass looking nice?
There’s a good probability that if you have a dog, your grass also has brown spots. This occurs as a result of dog urine’s high nitrogen content, which when accumulated over time in concentrated volumes, is known to destroy vegetation.
The effects of dog urine on your grass are comparable to those of a liquid fertilizer high in nitrogen. Your lawn will die if you use too much fertilizer, but a moderate quantity will keep your yard healthy. You must lessen the amount of nitrogen that gets into touch with your grass in order to prevent burns.
To make your lawn greener and healthier, use these seven suggestions:
In locations where your dog defecates, fertilize your lawn less frequently or not at all. There may already be too much nitrogen in fertilized lawns. Dog pee contains nitrogen, which could be just the right amount for burning the grass.
Use water to mist the places where your dog defecates. After your dog defecates, you can help to diluted the pee and minimize the nitrogen’s impact on your lawn by sprinkling water on the area.
Encourage your dog to hydrate themselves more. The less nitrogen is concentrated in the urine and the less harm it does to your lawn, the more your dog drinks. Additionally, it will benefit your dog’s health.
Replace the damaged grass with more urine-resistant vegetation. The most sensitive grasses are Kentucky Bluegrass and Bermuda, whereas Ryegrass and Fescue are the most urine-resistant varieties.
Give your dog a nutritional supplement. The nitrogen in urine can bind with some dietary supplements, such as Green-UM and Drs. Fosters and Smith “Grass Guard,” lessening its detrimental effects on your lawn.
Teach your dog to relieve itself in one spot. Some items, like the Simple Solution Pee Post, are pheromone-impregnated to entice your dog to urinate on or around them. You can keep the rest of your yard clean by designating a spot for your dog to go potty.
Apply a treatment for lawn repair. Some treatments, like Dogonit Lawn Repair Treatment, combine soil cleaners with organic enzymes to flush the salts from the root zone.
Which grass is ideal if you have dogs?
The top 6 grasses for dogs
- Fescue. dbvirago / Getty Images, image 1 of 6.
- Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), image number two of six.
- .
- Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) Kirill Rudenko / Getty Images, position three of six.
- 6th of 4, Zoysia
- Fifth of six. Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon)
- Centipede, number 6 of 6. (Eremochloa ophiuroides)
